Michael Cohen's lawyer said the White House knew he'd lie to Congress about the Trump Tower-Moscow project and 'did not tell him not to'

Michael Cohen, former personal attorney to Donald Trump, leaves federal court in November 2018 after pleading guilty to making false statements to Congress.

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Michael Cohen's lawyer on Wednesday said the White House knew
his client planned to lie to Congress but did nothing to stop
him.

In late November, Cohen said he'd misled Congress about
the timeline of discussions on the ultimately failed real
estate deal, stating the talks lasted well into the 2016
campaign season.

In a
sentencing memo released by Mueller last Friday, the
special counsel outlined the nature of Cohen's cooperation and
witness testimony.

The memo stated Cohen "described the circumstances of
preparing and circulating his response to the congressional
inquiries, while continuing to accept responsibility for the
false statements contained within it."

Michael Cohen's lawyer on Wednesday said the White House knew his
client planned to lie to Congress but did nothing to stop him.

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"Mr. Trump and the White House knew that Michael Cohen
would be testifying falsely to Congress and did not tell him not
to,"
Lanny Davis told Bloomberg.

Cohen was
sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday in relation
to nine crimes he's pleaded guilty to, including lying to
Congress about his involvement in a plan to build Trump Tower in
Moscow.

In late November, Cohen said he'd misled Congress about the
timeline of discussions on the ultimately failed real estate
deal, stating the talks lasted well into the 2016 campaign
season. This came after he'd entered a new plea deal with special
counsel Robert Mueller, who's investigating Russian election
interference and the Trump campaign's alleged collusion.

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The president's former personal lawyer and fixer originally
told Congress the discussions on the Moscow real estate plan
concluded in January 2016. But the discussions
actually lasted until June 2016 and Cohen "admitted he told these
lies - which he made publicly and in submissions to Congress - in
order to minimize links between the Moscow Project" and Trump,
prosecutors say.

In a
sentencing memo released by Mueller last Friday, the special
counsel outlined the nature of Cohen's cooperation and witness
testimony.

The memo stated Cohen "described the circumstances of
preparing and circulating his response to the congressional
inquiries, while continuing to accept responsibility for the
false statements contained within it." It also said "Cohen
provided relevant and useful information concerning his contacts
with persons connected to the White House during the 2017-2018
time period." This does not directly state Cohen discussed his
plan to lie to Congress with the White House, but it is relevant
to Davis' claims.

Davis on Wednesday also said Cohen would "state publicly
all he knows" about Trump once Mueller has completed his
investigation, which could include testifying before Congress.

The campaign finance violations were related to hush money
payments Cohen made to two women then-candidate Trump allegedly
had affairs with. Cohen said he was directed to make the payments
by Trump and they were intended to influence the election.
Federal prosecutors have endorsed that claim, and in a recent
filing stated Cohen made the payments
"in coordination with and at the direction" of Trump.

Trump has dismissed the payments as a "simple private
transaction" and maintains his innocence. The president, who once
had a close relationship with Cohen, has called his former
personal attorney a liar and a "weak person."